Vanbuel-Ant Colony, The (SP)-B/V/X/2M/DS/PN/BG/opt. P/ opt. CB

The Ant Colony takes its inspiration from certain graphic ideas and visual illusions, in the way they are introduced in the book "Godel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter. The main theme, that is repeated in different forms throughout the song, is a pattern that rhythmically interlocks with itself if played in a canon with itself. You might say it is it's own negative. The result is a flow of eight notes that seems to suggest even more melodies to come come out. This ideas travels through a whole range of different modes and moods. Different styles, like minimalist music, trip-hop, post-rock, reggae and gamelan music come to mind.

This arrangement is for a 10-piece percussion ensemble, which can be narrowed down to 8 players. The main role is for the drummer, who moves between styles, creates the dynamics and is granted space to improvise.

Number of players: 8-10
Difficulty: Intermediate

Instrumentation

Player 1: Glockenspiel
Player 2: Vibraphone
Player 3: Xylophone
Player 4: Marimba 1 (4.3 octave)
Player 5: Marimba 2 (5 octave)
Player 6: Piano
Player 7: Acoustic Bass *
Player 8: Electric bass
Player 9: Percussion *
Player 10: Drum Set

*) Optional